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Toys, food and clothing have been collected. Gifts have been wrapped. Baskets and Elf Bags have been packed and distributed. Besides the donations of goods and money, many volunteer hours have gone into helping make the season brighter for those less fortunate in our community. Some calculations are still being made to determine the number of people helped this year by various programs, but the Kiwanis distributed 726 food baskets, 105 families were adopted by the Volunteer Center’s “Adopt a Family” program and more than 500 Elf Bags were distributed with a final tally yet to come.

In this issue of the Herald Times you will find our annual look back at the top news stories over the past year. Inside you will find a special section (C) devoted to what we think were the top stories of 2010. We began the year taking in the daredevil routines of snowboarders from all over the world. In between, we witnessed accidents, fires, deaths of prominent citizens and, of course, Alpenfest, the Otsego County Fair, plenty of other festivals and more. At the end, we pondered the battle over the Vanderbilt casino.

Even though it looks like the Bay Mills Indian Community’s casino in Vanderbilt has been a boost to the economy, a federal judge granted a temporary injunction Tuesday to close down the gaming operation. The closure comes while the case to determine the legality of the casino wends its way through the federal court system. Not only have 20 people lost jobs, but other businesses in Vanderbilt had seen an uptick in trade since the casino opened in November and were looking forward to summer when they expected even more business might come their way. The Vanderbilt village council also will have to rearrange its budget as it was expecting about $10,000 in payments from Bay Mills to come its way in the fiscal year beginning April 1. As the case makes its way through the system, all anyone can do now is watch and wait.

As school budgets tighten with school funding cuts approved last month by state legislators, districts are looking at ways they can save a dollar here and there. Gaylord Community Schools is no different as it looks at qualifying for new funds by utilizing best financial practices set up by the state to provide grants up to $100 per pupil for districts that meet four of five of criteria. The district is considering privatizing custodial services to save money and improve its chances of receiving some best financial practices funding.

In this modern world there are very few days where life slows down around us, and we are able to spend a whole day with those we love celebrating that which is important to us. Christmas is a day for exactly that. It's a day to spend away from the hustle and bustle of life, to gather together as family and to celebrate our love and faith. Most will be away from their jobs, schools or whatever other responsibilities they have during Christmas. But not all. Let's think about those who are dealing with stresses on this blessed day - whether it is a health issue, economic woes or just those who simply must work.

It is almost hard to believe that nine years have passed since we here in the U.S., along with the world, watched the World Trade Center fall, saw the Pentagon on fire and heard about Flight 93 crashing in rural Pennsylvania after brave passengers apparently thwarted an attempt by that plane to reach its intended target. Most of us can readily recall where we were on Sept. 11, 2001, when these events were unfolding and remember the hurt, sorrow and fear we felt for days afterward.

We may have reserved our most heartfelt thank-yous for the table Thursday, but we still have plenty for which we can be thankful. For instance, Otsego County's Recreation Plan includes some pretty amazing ideas. Just last week, 764 acres of property was deeded to the county by the charitable trust of Louis M. Groen with the assurance that the property would be developed as a county park for public use. Additionally, a 9-acre parcel within Gaylord's city limits could become a park complete with skating rink, sledding hill and more.

It happened in the 11th hour, but it happened nonetheless and that's what is important. Literally hours before the national debt was scheduled to reach its ceiling, both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passed emergency legislation to raise the national debt ceiling while calling for spending cuts. At press time Tuesday, the bill was in the hands of President Obama and was expected to be signed. It avoided a potential disaster - our country's first ever government default.

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Zoo says it is home to a recently born endangered male Grevy's zebra. The zoo announced Thursday that the foal named Jimmy was born April 17 and will be on view at the zebra habitat at the zoo in Royal Oak. Jimmy can be seen along with his mother, 19-year-old Elvira, 10-year-old father Z.Z. and 8-year-old half-sister Zoe. ___ Online: http://www.detroitzoo.org ...

Corwith Township and Village of Vanderbilt voters are being asked once again to vote on a three-year, 1.5-mil levy request for operation of the Vanderbilt-Corwith Township Fire Department. This is the fourth time since 2008 the department has asked voters to approve a millage. Although the gap between the yays and nays has been closing, the millage could still be a tough sell as voter/taxpayers do not want to pay more out of their pockets with times continuing to be tough.